The Israeli army said on Monday that it attacked several Syrian tanks identified between Al Mazraah and Sami, “advancing” towards Al Sueida, located in southern Syria, “to prevent its arrival in the region,” near the border with Israel.
“The presence of these assets in southern Syria could represent a threat to the State of Israel. The army will not allow the establishment of a military threat in southern Syria and will operate against it,” says the military note, adding that the area remains under monitoring.
The Israeli attack occurs after clashes in recent days between local and clans in the city of Al Sueida, mostly Druse, which left about 30 dead and more than a hundred injuries, according to data from the Syrian Ministry of Interior.
The Syrian government department explained that combat “broke out in a context of accumulated tensions in previous times” and warned that “the absence of official institutions aggravated chaos and deterioration of security.”
Since the arrival of the Rebels to Damascus, which culminated in the fall of the bashar al-Assad regime in late December, Israel maintains troops implanted in the demilitarized zone of the Golhan hills.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has warned that it will not allow armed groups, including those of the new Syrian government, to settle in the south of the country.
With the end of the Bashar al-Assad dynasty, Israel has also bombarded some points in the country on several occasions. The Israeli Premier justifies these actions claiming that he has a commitment to the Druse community “united by family ties and stories with Israel’s Drudos brothers.”
In May, Israel held some evacuations of Syrian Drusos injured to Israel.
Currently reside about 24,000 Drusos – many with Israeli passport – in the Golhan hills.
